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Antiepileptic Drugs pp 375–394Cite as

Vigabatrin

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Part of the book series: Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology ((HEP,volume 138))

Abstract

Vigabatrin (4-amino-5-hexenoic acid; gamma-vinyl GABA; GVG) is a rationally designed, specific enzyme-activated irreversible inhibitor of GABA transaminase (Lippert et al. 1977; Schechter et al. 1979). It is a molecular structural analogue of GABA with a vinyl appendage (Fig. 1) and is highly soluble in water but only slightly soluble in ethanol and methanol and is insoluble in hexane and toluene. It is a white to off-white crystalline solid with a melting point of 171°–177°C. Its molecular weight is 129.16 and the conversion factor (CF) is 7.75 (mg/l × CF = μmol/l).

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  1. E. Ben-Menachem
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Medicine, Royal Brisbane Hospital, University of Queensland, Clinical Sciences Building, Herston, Qld., 4029, Australia

    Mervyn J. Eadie AO, MD, PhD

  2. Australian Centre for Clinical Neuropharmacology, St. Vincent’s Hospital, Fitzroy, Victoria, 3065, Australia

    Frank J. E. Vajda M.D.

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Ben-Menachem, E. (1999). Vigabatrin. In: Eadie, M.J., Vajda, F.J.E. (eds) Antiepileptic Drugs. Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology, vol 138. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-60072-2_14

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